Dream a Little Dream of Me
by Canary789
Summary: Mai can't help but missed Eugene so much. One day, she used her ability to explore dream, but accidentally arrived at Lin and Naru's office in London. However, because of her lack of ability, she couldn't come back to her body. Will she be able to return to her body? Who was after her in her dream? Will she be able to meet Eugene again? Naru x Mai x Eugene x Lin
1. Chapter 1 - a Strange Dream

**Author's note:**

Hello everyone . Do you know that Ghost Hunt series has been continued to the Ghost Hunt nightmare series? It's the sequel of the previous series, with the same author and the same illustrator. The story was one year after the last case. And to make it more interesting, Mai will meet Eugene as her dream guide again. At first, Mai was angry with Eugene because Eugene hasn't moved on. However, the story will revile the reason why. I can't wait to read the whole stories. Well, about my fanfic, the story was before the nightmare series. The original stories belong to Fuyuki Ono. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1 – A strange Dream**

It has been several months since Naru and Lin left Japan to continue their study at London. Ever since that day, Mai and the gang of SPR still face many cases about the supernatural phenomena. However, it's felt different, since Yasuhara took the role as the boss of SPR in Tokyo. It's still fun, but Mai still lost something. She missed the grumpiness of Naru, and the coolness of Lin. And also… She can't forget about Eugene, her first and only love. In every case, she always hopes that she can meet Eugene again in her dream. However, a wish is only a wish.

One day, Mai got a job from Yasuhara to write the report of their last cases. But, since the computer was broken, it took so much time to fix it. And because of it, Mai has to work at the office until midnight. And to make it worse, everyone has a duty at that night, so that no one can accompany nor help her that night, even Bou-san. Well, he has a band performance that night.

It took about many hours to do the report. When Mai finished her report, she realized that it has been 3 a.m. There wouldn't be any train at that hour. With a little grump, she decided to sleep at the office that night. Before sleeping, she wanted to drink a cup of tea. However, she couldn't find any sugar left on the cupboard. After searching for half hours, she found a strange jar with some white powder inside it. She opened the jar and tasted it. It was sweet! Maybe Bou-san or Hara has moved the sugar to that jar, she thought. She put some of the powder to her tea and drank it.

After drank all of the tea, she felt dizzy. She put her pillow on the sofa and rested her head on it. She took Eugene's photo from the table and took a look into it. She wouldn't be able to see him again. She put the photo on her chest. Tears began to flow from her eyes. She shook her eyes and looked into the crystal lamp on the cellar. It was beautiful. Naru put that lamp just the day before he left the office. Mai realized that was a spider web on the lamp. She couldn't forgive the spider. She raised her hand to shoo the spider, and it did work! The spider left the lamp as her hand touch the lamp. But wait… her hand touched the lamp…? It was too high for her to touch the cellar. Mai looked into her back. She saw her body sleeping on the sofa. It means… she did it again. She did left her body again in her dream!

She was panic! Suddenly, she heard someone's voice. It was calling her over and over. The voice was familiar. She decided to follow the voice. As Mai walked through the window on the office, the scenery was different. She could see dim light flew around her. It reminded her of her moments with Eugene. She kept following the voice. Every step that she took, the more darker the tunnel she walked in. She could feel someone was following her as she followed the voice. However, she couldn't find who it is. She ignored that strange feeling. After walking for a moment, she saw a window. The window has white frame and has a rather big size, which about 1,5 m. She could see a tall man sitting on the table. His hair is black. Mai could see some talisman and 2 big candles. She opened the window to see who he is. However, she felt someone pushed her, so that she fell from the window and landed on the top of the man.

" Ouch…" Mai shook his head.

" Who are you?" The man looked into her.

" I… um… Sorry, I just opened the window… and someone pushed me…" Mai explained as she moved from the man.

" Taniyama-san…?" the man couldn't believe whom he saw.

" Lin?" Mai was happy to meet her old friend. She jumped and hugged Lin as soon as possible, " I miss you so much!"

Lin was blushing, " Taniyama-san…? What are you doing here, in London?"

" London…?" Mai looked at the room surround her. She jumped to the window and amazed of the scenery that she saw. The Big Ben, the big clock which she dreamed every time she read the magazine about England. Mai was very exited.

Suddenly a man entered the room with some grumpiness from his mouth. " How noisy…" he said.

" Em… Noll… I…" Lin tried to explain, but his words have been cut by Mai's scream.

" Naru!" She ran into Naru and stopped in front of him. " No time no see! You still wear those black pajamas again? That is really like you. Ah, your hair has become a little bit longer!"

" How noisy…" Naru just realized that the noisy girl in front of him was Mai. " Mai…? How come you are here? And… why is your condition…"

" My condition…?" Mai asked.

" Lin, explain what happened in 5 minutes!" Naru stared at Lin and it made him shuddered.

" Well, Noll, I was practicing the summon technique… and accidently, her soul came…" Lin explained.

" Who do you want to call?" Naru asked.

Lin hided a photo in his back, " Em… It's so private. I can't tell you…"

Naru stared at him once again. Even Mai could feel the tense of the air around them.

" You know, that stare won't work to me any longer! I said I don't want to tell you because it private!" Lin said as he stared back at Naru.

" Stop it, both of you!" Mai shout as she ran into them. " Please don't be angry to Lin. At least, because of him, we can meet again, right? I'm very happy to meet you again guys, I really miss you!" Mai smiled at them.

Naru looked at Mai, " Why are you here in this condition?"

" This condition? You mean…. I left my body again…? I don't know… I thought that after the case of Eugene, I have lost my ability. However, this night, after I drank a cup of tea, I have this ability again…"

Naru nodded as he sat on the sofa in Lin's room.

" Well, after that, I heard a voice. It called me, so I just followed the voice. I found a window, and someone pushed me. So here I am!" Mai said.

" Did you call for her, Lin?" Naru said.

Lin shook his head.

" Then… Taniyama-san, do you know who pushed you?" Naru asked.

Mai shook her head. " I don't know… but I thought someone followed me when I was walking here…"

" Oh, I see…" Naru nodded his head, " Then you better return to your body now. It is evening in the Japan now. Your friend will be worried if you haven't woke up yet."

" How do I return to my body…?" Mai asked.

" Eugene has told you the way before right?" Naru asked.

" Yeah… " Mai closed her eyes. She thought of her own body in Japan, in SPR office. But nothing happened. " What's wrong with me…? Why can't I return to my body?"

" Concentrate!" Naru said.

Mai tried once again. She closed her eyes again and focused her mind on her body at the SPR office. But again, nothing happened. " Naru… I don't know what happened to me… Last time I tried it, it worked. But now… What should I do?"

Neither of them spoke. All of them have no idea. Suddenly they heard a ringtone from Lin's laptop. It was from Yasuhara. He was using Skype to contact them.

" I'm glad that finally you are online now!" Yasuhara said. His face was really pale.

" You looked panic… What happened?" Lin asked.

" Mai…. She… She was in coma…" Yasuhara said.

" WHAT?"

" Yeah… she was overdosed… She drank a lot of sleeping powder. She was holding the twin's photo… I once heard that she missed someone so much, but I didn't know that she would do this…" Yasuhara said.

" So you try to do suicide because of that fool?" Naru asked Mai.

" Sleeping powder? Oh my, I thought that was sugar, so I used it on my tea! OH NO!"

Lin and Naru gave Mai cold stare.

" I just think that, maybe if Naru came here, Mai will wake up. Please… Tell Naru to come here!" Yasuhara said.

" Calm down, Yasuhara-san!" Lin said, " We will go there as soon as possible!"

" I will waiting for you guys! I will go to the hospital with the others now. Please do come here as soon as possible…" Yasuhara stopped the connection of the skype.

" We must go there?" Naru asked Lin.

" Yeah… Perhaps if Taniyama looked at her own body, she can return to her body!" Lin explained. " I will book for the ticket to Japan now. If you excuse me…"

Lin left the room.

Naru looked at Mai. Mai prepared her mind to get lecturers from Naru. " Keep close to me."

" What?" Mai blushed.

" You said that someone followed you and pushed you into this room. I'm afraid something bad followed you. At least, if you are beside me, I can help you taking care of that bad spirit…"

" Naru…" Mai smiled, "Thank you!"

" I'm sleepy now…" Naru walked to the door. " Let's sleep!"

Mai followed Naru, " Naru, where could I sleep?"

" In my room of course, so that I can keep an eye on you." Naru answered easily.

Mai blushed so hard, " But… I was a girl… to sleep with a guy in the same room…"

Naru gave her a cold stare.

Mai shuddered, " Okay…" Nothing bad will happen to her, she thought, Naru is a dump after all.


	2. Chapter 2 - a Childhood Dream

**Chapter 2 – a Childhood Dream**

Entering the room, Mai only saw one single bed on the room. She couldn't believe what she saw, so she asked Naru about where she should sleep.

" Sleep wherever you want," Naru answered easily as he lay on his sofa.

" That means… I can sleep on the bed? He's very kind…" Mai thought as he saw Naru.

" Why do you stare at me?" Naru said.

Mai shook his head. She took a blanket from the bed and put it to Naru's body, " I don't need the blanket, because I'm just a soul now. Thank you for the bed. Good night, Naru!"

Naru pulled the blanket and faced the wall, " Good night… Mai…"

Mai smiled as she saw what Naru as done. It has been a long time that she spent her time with this narcissus and egoist boy. If only she hadn't met this boy, she wouldn't be able to have a wonderful journey with her friends in SPR. She laid herself in the bed and closed her eyes.

Time passed, but she couldn't sleep at all. She decided to take some air. She opened the window. The cold air entered the room and it made Naru shuddered. Quickly she closed the window. She checked on Naru. Seeing Naru was still sleeping made her relieved. Mai sat beside the sofa and looked into Naru's face. He was really handsome. He has long eyelashes and fair skin. The only problem is he never shows his smile. If only he could smile as sweet as Eugene, Mai will be very happy. Mai remembered, at the last cases, Eugene had helped her many times. Every time she faced problems, Eugene would come to her dream and showed her the way. Wait… Eugene always shows her the way through her dream, that means… She could also visit someone's dream. She looked into Naru and thought as if she could try it to Naru. Mai put her hand on Naru's and concentrate.

When Mai opened her eyes, she could find dim glow in every corner of the room. He could see Naru was glowing ad transparent, just like her. " YEY! It's work!"

" Is it what he always showed to you?" Naru asked as he sat beside Mai.

Mai nodded, " Has Eugene show it to you, too?"

" Long time ago, when we were small…" Naru looked at Big Ben through the window.

" Then let's go!" Mai stood and pulled Naru's hand.

" What?"

" I have never visit London before because I don't have any money. Since I can go here for free, let's enjoy this city!" Mai said enthusiastic. She pulled Naru and jumped through the window.

" WAIT! MAI!"

Just as Naru thought, Mai hadn't learned how to fly, even she has become a soul. Mai screamed as she fell. Naru shook his head. He jumped through the window, and pulled her hand.

" Naru… you can fly?"

" Just relax and concentrate. Remember, it's our dream. We can do anything that we want, as long as we focus. You must have watch Inception before, right? "

" AH! That film!" Mai tried what Naru said and it really was worked. " WOW, you're a genius!"

Being able to fly by herself, Mai pulled Naru's hand to explore the whole city. She visited some shops, museums, and many more. It was really fun, but Naru has the same expression, as always. Finally they stopped in front of the Big Ben.

" I was so tired. Let's take a rest for a while" Mai said as she sat on the top of the Big Ben.

Naru sat beside her without said anything.

" What's wrong? Why do you look so sad?"

" It's our favorite place… Me and Eugene…" Naru said as he looked into the scenery in front of him. " Our parents used to read some fairy tales for us. Eugene liked Peter Pan so much, so when we were small, he asked me to accompany him flying through the Big Ben, and at the end, we always sit here."

Mai smiled, " Wow… how sweet… You must be really closed back then…"

Naru shook his head, " I don't think so… I don't really like him."

" But... he's your twin brother…"

Naru didn't say anything.

" Could it be… because Eugene take everything that you love? Just like what you said to me before when you turn down my confession?"

Naru faced into the other side.

Mai put her hand on Naru's, " I'm sorry, we should discuss this topic. Well, thank you for today. It was really fun! Let's go home now!"

" Mai…" Naru pulled Mai's hand, " Before we go home… can I asked you a question?"

Mai nodded, " What is it?"

"About Eugene…. Are you..." Before Naru finished his words, he heard Lin's voice calling for him. " It seems that Lin has got the tickets. He'll be angry if he found out I left my body again. Forget what I just asked. Let's go back now!"

"..." Mai nodded and followed Naru. She still thought what Naru was going to say. She looked at Naru who pulled her hand. What has Eugene did to him, that made Naru hate him until now. She wanted to find the answer, however, it seemed so hard for her to ask about that question again.


	3. Chapter 3 - a Forgotten Dream

**Chapter 3 – Forgotten Dream**

Lin has knocked Naru's room for around 15 minutes but no one answered. Lin began to curious about Naru's condition. He called his name over and over, but still, no one answer. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. Lin began to afraid. He decided to break the door. He took a few steps backwards.

" What are you going to do?" Naru asked Lin.

Lin looked at his left side, " Noll? I didn't see you out of your room… How could you be here?"

Naru pointed the room on his left side, " My room is over there…"

" There's a sign on the door, " Mai looked at the door in front of her, " It said 'Pantry'."

Lin took his glasses and looked at the door in front of him. " Ah, you're right…"

" Fool…" Naru left Lin.

Mai could feel a rainy cloud around Lin. Mai giggled, " Why don't you wear your glasses?"

Lin put down his glasses again and put it on his pocket. " Noll hate me whenever I wear the glasses..."

Mai took Lin's glasses and put it on Lin, " For me, you looked much better with the glasses. You looked more intellect, cool, and mysterious… "

Lin eyes grew widen as he heard what Mai said.

" What's wrong? Am I say something wrong?"

Lin shook his head. He smiled a bit. Mai could see a little blush around his cheek. " Again… you did the same things as him…"

" You mean Eugene?"

Lin didn't answer, but from his smile, maybe Mai's answer was true. " I want to go to his room to give him the tickets and the case's documents. Will you follow me?"

Mai nodded and follow Lin walking in the corridor. It was a very big building. Mai could see many doors beside her and the corridor was very long. A lot of people using white uniform passed her. It seems they were the scientists who worked there. It was much different from the SPR office in Japan, Mai thought. When they arrived at the room, Lin knocked the door. After heard Naru's answer, they entered the room together.

" Noll, I want to give you the documents that you asked yesterday. And also… here's the flight ticket to Japan tomorrow. We can't go there today due to the weather…"

" Oh, I see…" Naru pulled the documents and looked at it. " I will check the documents for a while… You better do your report now, so that we can leave the office tomorrow."

Lin sat on the sofa in Naru's office and opened his laptop.

Mai was wandering around the room. Mai was exited by the bookshelf on the room. There are a lot of big and thick books. Mai couldn't read most of the books, because they were written in roman letters. " Wow… to have so many books like this… cool…" A red book written in Japanese characters interested Mai. " Hey, there is a book in hiragana!" The book located on the high place of the shelf. Mai tiptoed and pulled the book, but the book around it also fell.

" Lin… could you help Mai?" Naru asked. "She is too noisy and dumb. I can't concentrate…" Naru answered with monotone voice.

Naru's word that was as sharp as a knife stabbed Mai's head. " Sorry for being noisy and dumb…." Mai said as she grump. She gathered the book around her.

Lin put his hand on his own head. Luckily he has grown with Naru for a long time, so that he was used for Naru's egoist attitude. Lin turned off his laptop and moved to Mai. "Are you okay, Taniyama-san?"

" Yeah… I think. Maybe because I just a soul now, it didn't hurt at all…" Mai collects the book around her. The red covered book with the hiragana letter catched her eyes. She decided to open the book.

" What book do you see?" Lin asked as he saw the red book on Mai's hand.

" I think it's a photo album…" Mai opened the book and saw what inside. "Hey, there are some photos from Naru and Eugene's childhood!" Mai smiled as she saw the photos. Mai could see Naru and Eugene were playing together. They shared the same smile. " So, back then, Naru used to smile like Gene…"

" Really?" Lin asked as he sat beside Mai. " I can't believe this…"

"Lin never sees Naru's smile?" Mai thought. Then she moved into the other page. It has different location from the photos before. Mai was wondering about the boy who was beside he twins on the photo.

" It has been so long…" Lin smiled as he saw his childhood photo.

" Is that you? Wow, you have changed so much!" Mai giggled as he saw Lin. " But your face was as flat as you now."

" Lin, remember what I asked you?" Again Naru stared at them. Mai and Lin felt a chill on their spine.

Lin decided to stand up and tidy the book.

" It seems that his mood is rather bad today…" Mai said as she stared at Naru.

" Maybe because he was worried about you..." Lin said as he put the books back to the shelf, " Sometimes, he has to be true to himself."

" What are you talking about?" Mai asked as she passed the book to Lin.

" Mai!" Naru called, " You are disturbing Lin. Just sit on the sofa and read the book quietly."

Mai gave a cold stare to Naru. However, since Naru was busy with his work, it seemed that it didn't affect him at all. She took a long breath and took the album. She sat on the sofa and looked at the album again. She flipped the pages. After the photo that was taken with small Lin, Mai could see that Naru's smile was fading. And the rest of the photo, Naru didn't show his smile again. " What does it mean…?" Mai thought. The more she saw the photo, the more curious she is. She wanted to ask Lin, but Lin seemed too busy. And asking Naru seemed too impossible for her.

After Lin finished his duty in tidying the shelf, he did his report again on his laptop. It was too boring for Mai to see both of them doing their works. Mai laid her head on the sofa and closed her eyes. The sound of the computer and the smell of aromatherapy in the room made her sleepy.

* * *

When Mai was awake, she was in the middle of a meadow. There are so many beautiful flowers grew there. She saw a brown-haired girl with a white summer dress with a round hat with beautiful sunflower. She was sat on the meadow. Then a boy with black hair and black eyes ran to her.

" MAI!" the boy shouted

" The girl has the same name as me…?" Mai thought.

The boy smiled and gave her a big sunflower. " I have to go now, because my holiday is over. It was really fun to play with you! I promised I would come again next year!"

" I will wait for you here!" the girl said.

The boy smiled widely and left her, and everything around Mai turned dark. " What happened?" Mai walked in the dark. She could see a light at the corner. She followed the light and ended up in the same meadow again. She walked through the meadow and found a long road with a beautiful lake on the side. Then she heard a very loud voice form behind. As she turned around, she saw a sport car ran to her. She screamed as she closed her eyes.

* * *

" MAI!" Naru shouted her name.

Mai opened her eyes. Her eyes grew widen. She was panted. Naru put his arm on Mai's shoulder. "It's okay… it's only a dream…"

" Naru…" Mai took a long breath, " So, it's only a dream… I'm glad…"

Naru opened his laptop again and did his work beside her. It reminded her, the last time she saw him, he was doing his work on his desk. Could it be… he moved beside her because he was worried of her…?

Mai decided to read the album again to make her calm. While opening the last page of the album, she was surprised. She found a photograph of the girl in her dream and Eugene smiling beside her in the same meadow as her dream. There was something written on the corner of the photograph. "With Mai in Japan"

Mai was surprised. She didn't remember taking a photograph with Gene before. And she was mistaken Gene for Naru before, right? It's so impossible that she already knew Eugene before. But the dream she had before… what does it mean…?

" Naru… may I ask you something?" Mai asked.

" What is it?" Naru answered without looking at her. He was focusing on his work in front of him.

" Em… Why did Eugene come to Japan…?"

Naru stopped his worked for a while, " I don't know…" Naru continued his work again.

" It's useless to ask him…" Mai thought as she put her chin on her arm. She looked at the photograph again in her hand. How could she not remember about that event?


	4. Chapter 4 - a Cloistered Dream

******Chapter 4 – a Cloistered Dream**

The airport was really crowded that day. Maybe the pending flight the day before was the cause of the crowded. Naru, carrying a black laptop bag on his shoulder, held the tickets in his hand as he looked at the signboards. Lin followed Naru with 2 big briefcases, his and Naru's. From the size of the bags, Mai could assume that they were planning to stay in Japan for more than 2 days. Poor Lin… Mai thought.

" Mai, you better be hurry or else you will get lost in the crowded!" Naru stopped and turned his head to face Mai who was left behind.

" Wait!" Mai ran to them. Mai felt so weird since she woke up that morning. She felt really tired… and sleepy. Mai wondered, she has slept a lot yesterday, but she still felt so sleepy. And also, she lost the photograph she held the day before. She has asked Naru about it that morning, but Naru said that he didn't know what Mai was talking about. Was she dreaming yesterday?

Lin moved closer to Naru, " Is it just me, or… Why do I see Taniyama-san become more transparent than yesterday? And also she looked more pale…"

Naru nodded his head, " She almost reach the limit… We have to help her as soon as possible."

With a lot of effort, finally Mai reached them. She was panting, " I'm really sorry…"

" Take my hand…" Naru said as he offered his right hand.

" What?" Mai couldn't believe what Naru had done. She smiled and took Naru's hand. Naru's hand was warm. Mai blushed a little while she followed Naru.

* * *

The plane was really big and luxurious. It seemed that Naru bought the Executive class' tickets. Mai saw some sign systems on the plane, but she couldn't understand them. Well, it was her first time riding a plane. The explanations were written in English too. Mai couldn't read them.

Naru leaded Mai to the seats. Lucky for Mai, Naru bought a ticket for her; even she was just a soul now, so that she could have a seat. Three of them were sitting on the same row. Mai sat beside the window, Naru in the middle, and Lin was beside the passage.

Mai was exited by the view of the window. " Wow, it's my first time riding a plane! I can see the scenery of the town from above, right? I can't wait to see them!"

Naru didn't say anything. He put on the seat belt, laid his body on the seat, and closed his eyes. Maybe he thought that it was lucky that everyone around them couldn't be able to listen Mai's voice or else he would be very embarrassed. And also, he didn't have enough rest yesterday because of his assignment. Lin opened his book and began to read them with cool expression, as always. He also didn't say anything. Maybe he thought the same things as Naru did.

Mai decided to ignore them. She enjoyed seeing people in the plane. They have blonde hair, fair skin, and blue or green eyes. They were also very tall, much taller than the people in Japan. Even she didn't understand the language, she like the British accent.

* * *

The plane shook a little while avoiding the clouds. Mai awoke from her sleep. " I fell asleep again?" She looked at the window and realized that she lost the timing to see London form above. " Oh no!" Mai pleaded. And also, she found out that it has been night. She remembered well that it was afternoon when she entered the plane. Mai looked at Naru and Lin beside her. They were sleeping. Of course, it was midnight after all. Naru leaned his head on Lin's shoulder. Naru grumped a little in his sleep. Mai could see tears rolling from his eyes.

" Naru…?" Mai approached him, " Naru is crying?". Mai wanted to weep the tears. She touched Naru's face. BLINK! Mai felt as if she was pulled hard. She fell into turbulence.

As Mai regained her consciousness, she saw a big labyrinth in front of her. There were a lot of stairs in strange position, and many doors. Within the strange scenery, she saw Naru in black shirt walking in the labyrinth. Mai called for him, but he didn't reply. Mai ran to follow him.

As she entered the first door, the door with yellow frame, she was in a house. The living room was really big. There were a crystal lamp on the top, pastel colored wall, red velvet carpet, and a short round table on the middle of the room. Mai saw a pair of twin little boys was drawing some pictures on their drawing book in the middle of the room. They are about five years old, Mai thought.

" Noll! Let's search for the Peter Pan book again… I bet the book is there! The devil must take the book to there…"

The other twin looked at him, " There are no devil, you know. Devils only exist on storybooks. Why don't you just go there alone then? I want to finish this drawing…"

" But there was a devil there, Noll! It has scary face, I have seen them!" Gene pulled Noll's shirt, " Please… accompany me…"

Noll pushed Gene. " Move away, Gene! You are annoyed me!"

Naru's word is as harsh as his in the present; even he was a child back then…Mai thought.

The other twin began to cry. " Fine! I will look for the book alone!" Gene ran to the warehouse, leaving Noll alone.

5 minutes passed, Naru still drew on the living room peacefully, until they heard a scream from the warehouse. Little Noll was really surprised. He ran to the warehouse to see Gene's condition. Mai followed him. As he arrived on the warehouse, he saw frightening scenery. He saw little Gene, was bitten by a big creature. Mai didn't know how to describe the devil. It has the shape of lion on the body, elephant for the head, teeth of a lion, and tail of cow. Maybe it looks like a tapir, but the size and the shape was rather different. Gene was bleeding. The wounds around his body looked like was caused by a sharp thing.

" Noll… ran! Or else the devil will attack you…" Gene said with a very low voice.

" Gene!" little Noll screamed as he approached Gene. The devil was smiling at him, showing his big teeth to Eugene as if it wanted to eat Eugene. Noll tried to fight the monster. He took a replica knife from the wall and attacked the monster. The monster jumped to the window and vanished.

Their mother and father came to the warehouse. They were really surprised seeing Eugene's condition. They approached Gene and helped him. Their father called an ambulance as soon as possible. " Noll, what have you done to Eugene?" their mother asked as she pulled Noll.

" The devil did it, Mom…" Noll took some steps backward.

" There is no devil in this world, you know!" their mother said as she took the replica knife from Noll. " Never play with sharp weapon again, okay?"

" He said the truth, mom…" Eugene said.

Their mother approached Gene and held him, " Even your brother has done something bad to you, and you're still protecting him. …"

" No, mom, Noll just…" before Eugene finished his word, he has lost his consciousness.

" Noll, I don't know what happened to you, that make you hurt your brother like this. We have to talk about your punishment someday. Now, please help me curing Eugene's wound." The woman said as she lifted Gene's body and left the room.

Noll was crying, " Gene… I'm sorry… I should have believed in you… I should have protect you…"

" Naru…" Mai said as she walked to the crying little boy. She put her arm on the little boy's head. She knew that the little boy couldn't see her, but at least she wanted to help him. As she approached the little boy, Naru passed him. " NARU!" Mai called for him again, and again, Naru couldn't hear her. He opened another door, and entered the labyrinth again. Mai ran and followed Naru again. Even she has run, still she couldn't approach Naru, who was just walking. Naru entered a door with white frame.

* * *

As Mai entered the door, the scenery changed again. She was in a meadow. She saw little Naru with a taller boy with emo-hair beside him. Little Naru has been able to make the swing and slider in the playground fly, with his psychokinetic skill.

" Well done!" Lin said.

Little Naru smiled proudly, " Of course! Thanks to you, I can master this technique because of you!"

Lin looked to the other side, " I just did what my father asked me. Since you have master the technique, I want to go home. Good bye!" Lin said with flat face.

" Wait, Lin!" Little Naru said.

Little Lin turned around, " What's wrong?"

" Em…. Ano… " Little Naru looked a little blushed, " Thank you for today!"

Little Lin just nodded and turned again. Little Naru looked a little disappointed.

" WAIT LIN!" a boy's voice called him again. It was little Eugene, ran to him bringing a young girl spirit with him. " Lin, this little girl needs a help… She wanted to search for her family member…"

Lin just passed the boy, " I don't have a obligation to help you… My job is only to train both of you… And since both of you have mastered the techniques, my job is over."

Gene ran to blocked Lin, " Please… help her… You are also a Ghost hunter, right?"

Lin stared him so hard. They stared each other for minutes. Lin decided to ignore Gene. He turned his body and walked away from Gene.

Gene ran and blocked Lin again, " Why? You also ignore my request yesterday, my request to help the other spirit. As the result, the spirit turned into an evil, so that Noll have to crush the spirit… "

" Why do you want to help the spirit that much?"

" Because they were just like us! They used to be human too before. They have the same feeling and the same emotion, just like us!" Gene said as he hold Lin's hand, " Please tell me…"

" It's because… I hate you! I hate all the Japanese, because long time ago, on the word war 2, your country has betrayed us, the Chinese…"

" Is that so…?" Gene released Lin's hand, " Yes, it's true… The Japanese has abandoned your country that acted as our brother. But… it's only a history. Time has passed, and people changed! Japanese has held much collaboration with Chinese right now. And also… we are a team, right? We are the 'Ghost Hunt'!" Gene stared at Lin, " I don't want to be hated just because of my nationality! I really need your help…"

Lin just stared at Gene. " So what do you want?"

" I want to be your friend!" Eugene said, " Ever since you joined our club, you never smiled. I want to be your friend, so that you can smile again. I know… you have a big grudge to the Japanese, but we are different. I will prove that not all Japanese people were bad! So stay for a while with us, so that we can prove that we are different!"

Lin laughed, " It's my first time, being scolded by a boy younger than me. You talked just like my mother. Then prove me what you just said. What's your name?"

" It's Eugene!" Little Gene said as he smiled.

" Er… sorry to disturb both of you…" Little Noll cut their conversation, " The spirit has ran away… And I can't hold her. Let's chase after her…"

Gene pulled Lin's hand, " Let's begin our first mission… the Ghost Hunter!"

3 of them ran together to chase the spirit. Mai smiled at them as she saw the events. " So it was the event that Lin has talked about before. Gene…" Mai thought as she held her hand on her chest.

Mai heard a door cracked. Mai looked around the meadow. A door appeared in the middle of it. Mai was curious about the door. It looked different from the other door before. It looked so damaged. The color also has been faded. Has Naru entered the door before? She tried to push the door. As she pushed the door, she heard a voice.

_" Don't enter that door!"_

That voice...Gene...? Mai looked around but found no one. Maybe she just imagine things, Mai thought. She pushed the door and feel something blocked it. " Naru...?" She called.

"I found you..." Mai heard a voice behind the door. Mai saw a hand pulled the door from the other side. However, it wasn't the hand of human. It was... a lion hand with very long and sharp claws...


	5. Chapter 5 - a Cracked Dream

**Author's note :**

**Sorry for taking so long. I have so many homework lately. Hope you will enjoy the story. :)**

**Chapter 5 - a Cracked Dream**

Mai was really surprised of the creature she saw. She stepped backward. " What the hell is it…? Isn't it… the creature that attack Eugene when he was small?" She kept stared at the creature in front of her.

" I finally found you…" The creature moved to her, closer and closer.

Mai turned her body and ran as fast as she could. She found out that the grasses around her were dying and the sky turned dark. There was no place she could hide. She looked back and found out that the creature was really closed to her. She moved her legs faster, but she didn't realize that she stepped on the tree's branch. She fell and found out that the creature has already behind her back. Showing its long sharp teeth, the creature opened its mouth wide, as if it wanted to eat her.

" WATCH OUT!"

As Mai opened her eyes, she saw a figure protecting her, the black haired man with black shirt and pants. She saw the man held the creature's teeth with his right arm. " NARU!"

Mai heard that Naru was chanting, the same incantation as Ayako used to teach her. A light came from his hand and the creature pushed back. Without wasting any time, Naru pulled Mai with his left hand and ran from the creature.

" Naru… What was that?" Mai asked.

" That is _baku_, a legendary creature who used to eat people's dream… You should be careful to that monster, because if it hurt you in this dream world, the wound would be bought to the real world…"

" What should we do now?" Mai asked.

They stopped in front of a tower. It was an old lighthouse. Naru examined the wall of the tower. " We should eliminate the darkness of this place. If we can reach the top of that tower and fix the light, maybe we can go back to the real world." Naru stood in front of the gate. The gate was really big, about double size of their height. He tried to push the gate, but they were really heavy, so it only could move a little.

Mai helped Naru by pushing the door too. As she looked at Naru, she realized that blood flew from Naru's right arm. " Naru, your arm!"

" It's nothing… Don't worry about it…" Naru tried to push the door harder, but the door was already stuck. From the size of the opening, he assumed that only a person could pass the door.

Mai looked at behind her back, " Naru, the creature has came closer, what should we do now?"

" So the monster also aiming for this tower…" Naru hissed, " Enter this gate, Mai! Let me handle that monster."

" But what about you?"

" Worry not about me. Just enter the tower and lighten up this tower! Hurry!" Naru pushed Mai to the gap of the door and closed the gate.

" NARU!" Mai pushed the door, but the door won't budge. Mai was really worried about Naru. He was wounded and… the monster was really big and scary. Naru alone wouldn't be able to fight that monster, she thought. Suddenly, she remembered what Naru said before. If she could turn on the lighthouse again, maybe they could go home again. Mai looked around her, but nothing seemed strange to her. She has no choice but to use the stairs.

The tower was really high. As Mai ran though the stairs, she heard a loud voice from the bottom. She looked at the window and saw that Naru was fighting hard with the creature. He was pushed to the ground by the creature." NARU!"

Naru cast another spell again. Mai was relieved as she saw the spell could repel the monster for a second. Naru looked at her, and shouted, " Turn on the light, Mai! Hurry!"

Mai nodded and ran again. When she reached the top of the tower, she found some strange gears on the top of the tower. The gears were stopped, but they were connected each other with a rope. Mai looked around her and found a handle behind her. Maybe if she steered the handle, it can activate the mechanism and light up the lighthouse, she thought. She began to steer the handle. The handle was really heavy. Even Mai have put all of her effort, but still it couldn't move. " I have to save Naru fast, or else… Naru…" Tears began to roll from her eyes. As her tears touched the handle, something on the handle was shining. It was a red thread. She pulled the thread and realized that the thread was coming from a red scarf. The scarf was stuck on the gears. Maybe it was the one that made the handle wouldn't be steered. Mai pulled the scarf and put it on her neck. She steered the handle again and it worked! The mechanism turned on again and the light came from the lighthouse.

"YEY!" Mai was really happy. She wanted to check Naru's condition at the bottom of the tower. However, as she touched the window, there was a quake. Mai ducked to protect herself. After the quake stopped, she ran fast to the bottom of the tower. She found out that the gate has been opened, but there was no one there. " NARU!" She shouted as she passed the gate.

The condition around her changed again. She was in London, and there was snow everywhere. She could hear the Christmas song from the shops around her. She looked around and again; she found a pair of Davis twin, near the big Christmas tree on the center of the shopping mart. However, the ages were different. It looks like that they were already teenagers.

" Merry Christmas, Noll!" Gene said as he put a red scarf on Naru, who was sitting on the bench.

Naru turned his head, " So what is your purpose for calling me right now?"

" To meet you, my lovely brother, of course!" Gene said, " Why do you get angry? "

" Lately you just handled the case with Lin…" Naru said.

" I'm really sorry to leave you alone." Gene sat beside Noll, "But… since most of the cases that we got was from Japan… and also, you have some researches you have to handle as the professor, so we couldn't bring you…"

" It's not because of that, but…"

Before Naru finished his sentences, Gene has hugged him, " I'm really sorry. I have promised you back then, that we will always be together. Sorry to leave you alone…"

Naru hided his blush with his red scarf, " Gene…"

Suddenly a figure ran toward them. It was Lin, wearing a long black jacket, as always. " Gene! Why did you leave the office without telling me?" Lin realized that was Naru beside Gene. " Ah, Noll, long time no see!"

Naru pulled away from Gene and turned his head to the other side. " I want to buy a cup of coffee." Naru left Lin without saying anything.

" Naru!" Gene said.

Lin put a jacket on Gene's shoulder, " I told you to take care of yourself. You are a spirit medium, so you have to take care of your body more than the others."

" I'm sorry, Lin, I didn't tell you…" Gene pulled a box from his pocket, " By the way, Merry Christmas, Lin…"

" I'm just your teacher. I have no right to receive anything from you." Lin said.

Gene opened the box and took the glasses on it. He stood, pulled Lin's tie so that Lin has the same height as him, and put the glasses on Lin's head. " You look really good with this glasses. And also, it will help you to see the world better…"

Mai could that Lin was blushing. " Gene…" Lin hugged Gene tight.

Gene eyes grew wider " Lin…?"

Mai was surprised to see the scene in front of her. Lin… hugged Gene? Is it mean that Lin… Mai saw a red scarf flew in front of her. She touched the red scarf on her neck. If the red scarf was still in her neck, that means that scarf was…

" _If only… he wasn't there…"_

Mai heard Naru's voice behind her. " What?" Mai looked behind her. It was that creature again, the_ baku_. It was right behind her. She didn't have any time to run. The creature raised its sharp claws.

" KYAAAAAA!" Mai screamed as she closed her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6 - Missing Link Dream

**Chapter 6 – Missing Link Dream **

" GYAAAA!"

Mai opened her eyes as she heard a man's scream. Mai realized that she's no longer in the park of London with some Christmas decoration, like before, and the monster has gone. It was a completely dark room. It looked like she was in a Japanese room, because the floor felt so soft, just like a tatami. However, the floor was kind a wet, she wondered as she raise her hand. From the sound, Mai assumed that it was raining hard outside. A lightning roared from the side of the window. By the light, she realized that the room was full of blood. Her hand and body also covered in blood. " KYAAA!" She jumped as she surprised. Mai felt as her leg bumped into something. A lightning roared again and she realized that something behind her was a human body! And it was her father's body, covered with wounds and blood. She realized that was someone else on the room, and it was standing on front of her. Mai couldn't recognize who it was, since it was really dark, but the figure has a very long hair. The figure held a knife in its hand, which reflected the lightning's light. It ran to her and thrusting its knife to her.

" NNOOOOO!" Mai screamed. She felt something cold touched her skin.

* * *

" TANIYAMA-SAN!" Lin's voice made Mai came back to her world.

Mai's eyes grew widen. She looked at around her. She was still in the plane, and there weren't any blood around her. She was sitting at the plane, beside Naru and Lin. However, Naru was not in his seat. Lin looked at her with worried face. Mai put her arms around her chest. Her heart still beat fast.

" Taniyama-san… Are you okay…?" Lin asked as he moved to Naru's seat.

Tears rolled from Mai's eyes as she saw Lin's face. She was saved. There's no monster, blood, nor a scary person around her. " LIN!" She hugged Lin tight.

Lin was surprised by Mai's action. However, he put his arm on Mai's shoulder and padded them. Even Lin didn't say anything, Mai felt so comforted. Lin's hands were big and warm, just like her father.

" Taniyama-san, your arm…"

Mai looked at her right arm. It was bleeding. What she saw was just a nightmare, right? How could the wound be brought into the real world…? Mai remembered what Naru has said in her dream. If the _baku_ touched her, the wounds could be bought into the real world. So… she was touched by the _baku_ before, and what she saw and what happened to her before was not only a dream, but…

" Can I see your arm for a minute?" Lin asked. He realized that Mai was shaking. The scenes that she saw before were haunting her: the room full of blood, her father's body, and everything.

" I saw a nightmare… At that dream, I was in a room full of blood… There was someone, held a knife, and she thrust me with…"

Lin pulled Mai's body closer and hugged her with his arms. " It's okay… what you just saw was just a dream…"

Mai was really surprised. Even she just hugged him before, she felt so strange now. She looked at Lin. Lin was smiled at her. His face was calm and comforting. His expression was as warm as his expression when he saw Eugene back then. She realized that her face was blushing.

Lin examined Mai's arm, " Your wound… Let me heal it." Lin put his arm on Mai's wound. Mai could felt a warm aura around her arms. There was a long silent between them.

" Lin… may I ask you something?" Mai said, " You and Gene have visited Japan many times before, right?"

" How do you know?" Lin's face was surprised, " Did Noll tell you about it?"

" Well…." Mai couldn't explain that she saw Naru's memories in her dream, " Why did you and Gene come to Japan so often back then?"

" Gene wanted to study about Shinto's exorcism ability…" Lin answered.

" Only that? But why did you join him instead of helping Naru doing his research, like what you do right now?"

Lin looked to the other side, "I have to take care of Gene. Gene is a perfect medium, so that spirits easily possessed him. I was the only one who can carry back his consciousness whenever he was possessed…"

" But… beside studying Shinto's exorcism, both of you were doing something else right? Like… handling a case maybe?" Mai asked.

Lin looked surprised, " Noll already know that far?"

So her instinct was right, Mai thought. Mai didn't know why, but somehow she felt like Lin was hiding something from her, and Naru perhaps.

" Well…" Lin paused for a while, "We were investigating a case back then, a serial murder case…"

" A serial murder case…?"

" Gene is a perfect medium. The client asked us to look for the murderer by calling out the victim's soul… "

" Why not using the police instead of calling a spirit medium?" Mai asked.

" The police has given up for the case," Lin answered, " There was no witness for this case. The police have tried hard to find the suspect, but they always failed. To make it worse, the police officer that handled the case was also murdered. The only key left was the police officer's daughter, who was with him at the time of the murderer. However, the girl had a deep trauma. She had amnesia since that case…"

" And Gene was…"

" Gene had channeled for the victims' soul many times. The murderer was really smart. He always killed the victims in a remote area, which has no electricity. The victim were killed in a dark place, so that Gene couldn't recognize the murderer… However, Gene was sure that the murderer has long black hair… and he rode a red sport car…"

" A long black hair man…" Mai remembered about her dream about the room full of blood. " And a red sport car…?" Mai remembered about her dream about Gene giving her a sunflower. Were that dreams have a connection?

" Please don't tell Noll about this case… " Lin said.

" But why?"

" Because… Gene forbids me to tell Noll. Maybe he didn't want Noll to involve to this case as well…"

" Lin… may I ask you something…? Maybe it's just my theory but… the one who killed Gene… Is it connected to this case?"

Lin's eyes grew wider. He didn't say anything. Lin closed his eyes. " Your hand is okay now. I will be back to my seat"

" Lin…"

" Please don't involve in this case as well, Taniyama-san… Just forget what I just told you."

" But…"

" Lin, may I have my seat back?" Naru asked.

" Where have you been, Noll?"

" Toilet, as I told you before…" Naru answered as he sat back beside Mai.

" Really? But it was too long. Are you okay?" Lin asked.

Naru stared him deeply, " Is that a problem to you?"

" I assumed that you are okay then. If you need my help, please tell me." Lin opened his files again and read them with his cool face, as always.

" Naru… thank you for saving me in the dream before…" Mai said as she looked at Naru.

" What do you mean?" Naru asked.

" You were saving me from _baku_ before, right? With your right arm you…" Mai pulled Naru's right arm. There was no wound. In her dream, Naru said if anyone touched by the _baku_, the wound would be brought to the real world. However, his right arm was completely fine. So what she saw before was only a plain dream, not Naru's memories…? And about the dream that she saw after she was touched by the _baku_. Is it really just a plain dream…? But about her wound on her arm… What does it mean?


	7. Chapter 7 - Prelude

**Chapter 7 – Prelude**

The wind blows the white curtain ahead. The wind blows the rose in the vase so that the petal landed on a girl's hand. The girl was lay in the white bed with a infuse bottle connected to her hand. On the right of the bed was a white sofa. Maybe it was not soft enough, but quite comfortable. On the left of the bed was a white shelf. On the top of it was a basket of fruits. That came from the girl's friends, who visited her that time. Yes, the girl is Mai. Mai had been stayed for 3 days in Matsuzaki hospital, where both of Ayako's parents work. The doctor said that her condition has been stable, however, they didn't sure when Mai would awaken. There were 3 boys and 3 girls on the room. They were a buddish monk name Takigawa Hoshou, who always called by Bou-san, a shrine maiden named Matsuzaki Ayako, a spirit medium named Hara Masako, a catholic priest named John Brown, and a student with glasses in his head named Yasuhara Osamu. They were visited Mai at the hospital that day. Bou-san was sitting near the window frame, reading the newspaper. John was peeling the apples, while Yasuhara ate the apples that have been cut by John. Ayako was fixing her make-up on the sofa. Masako sat on the sofa near Mai's bed, enjoying a can of ocha that she bought from the vending machine.

" Naru sure is late. The visiting hour will end in short time… By the way, how could that be a sleeping powder in our office?" Bou-san asked as he closed the newspaper." I don't think Mai could afford to buy that things…"

" Oh, it's mine. I was the one who kept the sleep powder in the cupboard in the office," Ayako answered. She was fixing her mascara.

" What? How did you keep the sleeping powder there?" Bou-san asked.

" Well, I will tell you the whole story. My parents asked me to buy the sleeping powder for their treatment, while I was drinking in the bar. So, after I went from the bar, unfortunately, I broke the bottle on the way, so that I borrowed the bottle from the office. And… I mistook the bottle. What I brought was the sugar, and the bottle that contained sleeping powder was left on the office… You know, it's hard to recognize the bottle in such condition… "

" So that was because you were drunk…" Bou-san stared at Ayako, " Poor Mai… And… is it just my feeling, or did you wear more make-up today?" Bou-san moved away from Ayako with uncomfortable face.

" Ayako must have done that on purpose… Lately Naru was only contact Mai, so that Ayako want to eliminate her rival in love…" Masako said as she drank the ocha with her calm face. Her words were as harsh as always, but actually she was a sweet girl who doesn't really well in expressing her feeling. " She wears heavy make-up today, because she knows that Naru will come here today and she wants to seduce him…"

Ayako stared at Masako, " Is that so…? But why do you also wear more colorful kimono today? I don't think such colorful kimono like this will suit someone who visited her friend on the hospital…" Ayako said with a smirk in her face.

" Hara-san… Matsuzaki-san… calm down…" John tried to calm the tensed between them, " We were in hospital… We will disturb the other patients…"

" SHUT UP!" Ayako and Masako shouted. They were staring each other, and everyone could feel the high voltage electricity between them.

" You should consider your age, Ayako-san…" Masako said, " You know, even you wear more make-up, the make up wouldn't be able to change your age."

Ayako frowned her eyes; " I think you should start being a modern girl, by wearing some make up and modern dress. We are not in Edo era, old hag…"

" Er… Matsuzaki-san… Hara-san…" John tried again.

" SHUT UP!" Ayako and Masako shouted louder.

Yasuhara pulled John away, " We shouldn't interrupt the girl's fight… You better think about how to help Mai now…"

" Wow!" Bou-san put his arm on Yasuhara's head, " You have grown wiser now. Oji-san is proud of your decision now…"

" Well, actually I kind a enjoy watching they fighting each other!" Yasuhara smiled," I hope that I brought my handycam today…"

Bou-san beat Yasuhara's head with his punch, " I pulled my word. You never change."

Yasuhara laughed, " I just think a better idea because of your punch before," Yasuhara stared Bou-san, " Maybe if you kiss Mai, she would wake up…"

Bou-san blushed so hard, " You shouldn't tease someone older than you, you know!"

" If you don't want to try the method, I will try myself." Yasuhara ran to Mai's body.

Bou-san pulled Yasuhara, " HEY! HEY! Stay away from Mai!"

" What's wrong? Are you jealous of me or…" Yasuhara moved closer to Bou-san, " Perhaps you love me, so that you don't want me to go out with Mai…?"

" BAKA! You crept Oji-san!" Bou-san pushed Yasuhara away and moved away as far as he could.

" Ano…" John moved closer to both of them, " The nurse will get angry at us if we are so noisy…"

" What? John is also have a fond in Taniyama?" Yasuhara changed his target and began to tease John.

" Hey, it's not like that…" John blushed, " Even Taniyama is really cute and interesting, but…" Before John finished explaining, Ayako and Masako who still fighting each other accidently pushed John, so that John fell to the top of Mai's body.

" WOW! Finally John begin his move!" Yasuhara held a mike in his hand and acted as a reporter, " Want to know about the detail, let's check it out!"

" John, I always think you as my best friend…" Bou-san cried, " I don't know that you will stab my back like this…."

" You get it wrong. I didn't mean to…" John tried to stand, but again, Ayako and Hara's fight caused he fell again.

" All of you really enjoy the moment, huh?" a voice interrupted their fight. Everyone just noticed the presence of the black-suited boy inside the room.

" Em… Naru? Since when have you arrive in this room?" Bou-san asked with a smile in his face. He put his hand behind his back, as if a child who hided his crime from his parent.

" It's not hard to find this room, since this is the most noisy room in this hospital." Naru said as he sat on the sofa beside Mai's bed. " Why everyone stop? All of you were come to have fun here, right? Just continue your show again, will you?"

Naru's word made everybody in the room silent and shivered, as always. John stood beside Naru, " We're really sorry… for the noise… and the accident…"

Naru didn't feel like he wanted to respond. He examined Mai's body that lay on the bed. He took the rose petal from Mai's hand. " What did the doctor say about her condition?"

" The doctor said that her condition has been stable. However, they wondered why she haven't wake up. Any idea?" Ayako asked.

Naru glanced at Mai's soul, who stood beside him. " Don't you feel or see anything strange here…?"

Everyone in the room, except Lin and Mai looked around them. " Nope…" Bou-san said," Anything strange… you mean ghost? It's a hospital, so it's normal to have some spirit wandering around here. What do you mean by strange?"

" They can't see me…?" Mai asked.

" Hara, did you see anything strange?" Naru asked Masako.

Masako shook her head.

" It's strange… they can't see me… Even Masako who can see the spirit can't see me…" Mai said, " And even I have stand beside my own body, I can't go back to it… Am I going to disappear, just like a dream…?" Tears began to roll from her eyes.

Naru couldn't say anything. The truth is he didn't know what to do now to console nor help Mai.

" Oh, Naru, I just remember, " Bou-san walked to Naru and gave him a photograph. That was he and Eugene, standing together in front of a brick wall. It was the photo that he gave to Mai before he left to London. " Mai held this in her last sleep. I think you better keep it until she wake up…"

Naru looked at the photograph. If only Eugene was here, he would have known how to console Mai. Wait… why do I care about her so much? And why Gene should be the one who help her? Naru shook his head and put the photo in his pocket on his shirt. " Okay… I will keep it."

" You looked really tired, " Yasuhara said, " Maybe we better go back to the office now, so that you can take a rest. By the way, where's Lin?"

" I asked him to go to the office to look for some certain files. Oh, before you go to the office, I need some help from all of you." Naru wrote something on his notes and tore them apart, and gave the note to Yasuhara. " I need those books and articles. Please look for them in the library. And if you find anything related to those topic, please borrow them or write them down as well."

Yasuhara nodded. " Sure!"

Bou-san, John, Masako, and Ayako were nodded too. " We will help him to save the time. By the way, why should we look for them?" Bou-san asked.

" They were connected with this case, " Naru answered simply. " You better search for them now, before the library closed. I will stay here for a moment…"

" Ay, ay, Captain!" Bou-san said as he left the room. He pulled Ayako and Masako also, who began to murmur about Naru's attention to Mai.

" We will go to the office before noon. Please be careful on your way home." John bowed and left the room as well with Yasuhara.

Naru closed the door and stood beside Mai, who kneed beside her body and cried so hard. He sat on sofa, waiting for Mai until she felt better. A nurse came and asked Naru to leave the room, since the visiting hour has ended. Naru nodded. He took Mai's hand. Mai's expression was blank, like a girl with no ray of hope. She followed Naru as Naru guided her.

* * *

**Author's note :**

Sorry, it took so long to upload this chapter. I have some works to do, and the final exam has begun as well. Oh yeah, I hardly found any title which contain any 'dream' word anymore. So from this chapter, the title may be have more varieties. Thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 8 - Eugene

**Chapter 8 – Eugene**

At first, Mai thought that Naru has been more sensitive since he came from England. However, it was a big mistake! As she arrived at the office, Naru asked her to help Lin tidying the warehouse on the rooftop. Naru really didn't understand that she was rather down because of what happened on the hospital. Well, she has no mood to talk to that moron after all. She went to the warehouse with grumpy face.

The warehouse was already quiet tidy and clean when she arrived, thanks to Lin. Lin, still wearing a handkerchief around his nose, was surprised by Mai's presence. " Oh, welcome home. So… how is the visit?"

" As you see… nothing happened…" Mai was too lazy to answer because of her foul mood. " So, what can I do to help?"

" I see… maybe you can bring those boxes near the stair and put them in Naru's room. " Lin answered.

" Okay then!" Mai took the box and brought them. The box was really heavy, that made her have to spend much energy just to carry that box. As she arrived at the ground floor, a book fell from the box. She put the box beside her and took the book. The book was handwritten. It looks like a diary.

_-5 May 19xx-_

_Today I'm handling the same case again. I was really sad, because one of the police officers I have been cooperated with before had been killed on this case. Even I have used my power to call for his soul, I still couldn't give any useful information to the police. I felt so useless for this case. _

_Tonight, I have a call from my brother. He asked me about my condition. He knew that I got a burn in my hand because I was rather clumsy when I made a cup of hot tea this morning. I hated that he always knows whenever I got hurt. It must be because of our ability as twins. Whenever I got hurt, he will also get hurt at the same place. And there also go with me. _

Is it…Gene's diary? She looked at the cover. Most of the characters on the cover had been erased. It was a very old book, after all. Mai looked to the other pages.

_-21 May 19xx-_

_The investigation continued without any useful progress. Today I met a little girl. I never met this girl on the previous case, but I'm glad that I can meet a kid around my age in a place like this. I asked the girl to play with me on the break time. She couldn't speak, but little by little, I was able to play with her. She explained that she lost her memories and ability to speak due to a shock. It was fine with me, I love played with her. I hope that I can introduce her to my brother because I think that they would be a good couple. _

_-3 June 19xx-_

_Lately I have a strange dream. I dreamed about a strange creature, begging me for help. I don't understand what it was talking about. I wished that I could understand it so that I can help this poor creature. _

_I played again with the little girl. She told me that sunflower is her most favorite flower, because the flower means, " I only watch you". She gave me a flower, and I take care of it in my office._

_Oh yeah, today is a miracle. She regained her ability to speak again. Even her ability to speak hasn't completely recovered; finally I can get her name. It was a very beautiful name. She was…_

The memo was torn apart, so that Mai couldn't read the rest of it. What a pity, she really wanted to know the girl's name. Mai looked at the next page.

_-3 July 19xx-_

_Today is her birthday. It was rather strange, because I thought her birthday would relate to her name, but it wasn't. She said that the truth is she only could remember her own name after the accident. The one who told her about her birthday was her mother._

_Unfortunately, today is my last day on this country. But I promised her to meet again next time I came here. _

There was a photograph slipped from the book. It was a black and white photograph, with a picture of a small house. It was her house, which key she hold until now. How could Gene have a picture of her house?

Suddenly she heard a loud noise. She looked at her back, and found out that Naru just dropped the box. Mai put the book on the table and ran to him. " Naru, are you okay?"

" Yeah… please bring the box to my room." Naru asked.

The box was heavy, but come on, he was a boy… Is it because he was too spoiled? Mai looked at Naru's arm. Blood flowed through his hand. " Are you really okay? You are bleeding!"

Naru looked at his right arm. " Oh, it's just a scratch, so don't worry."

Mai looked at Naru's arm by force. She was surprised when she saw a long scratch on Naru's right hand. "Let me treat it. How come you got this wound?"

" It's really nothing… Just put the box to my room and leave me alone… I still have so many things to do." Naru pulled his arm and left Mai.

Mai sat on the sofa after she did what Naru had asked her. She was rather upset because Naru didn't want to answer whatever she asked. He just kept silent, busy with the laptop in front of him. But his wound… the location and the length of the wound was the same as she had before. Did he really protect her from that strange creature before? But why did she get the wound at the same location. It reminded her of the diary she had read before. She took the diary from the table and opened it. At 5 May 19xx, about the ability of the twins, which sharing the same pain. But, Mai and Naru aren't twins. How could she get the same wound as Naru? She looked at the other pages of the diary. Some page of the diary had been torn off the book, but she still could read the rest. The diary started 2 years after the last page.

_20 Sept 19xx –_

_It was winter already. I found it really hard to control my power lately. Lin told me that I was easily got possessed lately. He had given me so much training to help me to control this power, but it didn't really help. Lin said that probably it was the effect because I have used too much of my power. I was really sad about my condition. I have to hide this from my brother._

_1 Des 19xx –_

_I couldn't be able to control my power again. Lucky for me, Lin was always accompanied me wherever I am. He was the only one who could control me whenever I got lost of my control. I found myself in Lin's hug lately. He said that it was his method on controlling my power. I trust in him. He was my only best friend that I can rely on. But somehow, I found my brother didn't like whenever I was together with Lin. Well… it's my fault, for not telling him the truth about my power. Maybe he thought that I have replaced him with Lin. But, for sure, I love my brother most. He was the only family I had. I promised I would tell him the whole truth after I had finished this whole case._

_3 Des 19xx –_

_Someone blackmailed me again today. It seemed that the murderer had known that I was involved in investigating this case. I have to admit that I felt really scared, knowing what had happened to the police officers before. However, I want to help her, the police officer's daughter who lost her memories due to a shock. _

_Today she visited me again. I was happy to spend my time with her. She gave me a red scarf. I was really glad because she made it by herself. I told her about my brother, Noll. She seemed really interested. I really want her to meet Noll. _

_15 Des 19xx-_

_Someone tried to shoot me today. I was lucky because Lin was with me. Seeing this accident made me want to hide this whole case from my brother. I don't want him to involve in this case. It was too dangerous for him. _

_25 Des 19xx –_

_Today is Christmas. I have to go home again, to fulfill my promise to my brother. The investigation today really took much time. Brother must have waited for me. I told Lin that after we arrived there, he had to buy something for Noll. He seemed rather down lately… _

"Is it… what I saw on my dream…?" Mai thought. " So the reason why Lin hugged Gene that day was because he had to control Gene's power…?" Somehow Mai felt so relieved. eugene is a very kind brother... Mai thought. She really happy that the reason why Naru hate Gene was not because Gene had done something bad to him. However, the problem is Naru never knows about this fact and he got wrong perception. Maybe she had to tell Naru about this fact, so that Naru would accept Gene again...

_26 Des 19xx –_

_Noll ran away from home. It's my fault. I searched him all day, and finally I found him in the park, when we used to play together before. I'm glad that I could find him. However… ever since this day, he became so quite. He never told me anything about his research again, or about his friends, or perhaps his girlfriend. I'm so sad… but I couldn't do anything. I don't want him to involve on this dangerous case… and also I don't want him to know about my uncontrolled power._

_- 27 Des 19xx -_

_I caught a cold today. Well, looking for Noll in snowy weather really worn me out. I'm glad that Lin was taking care of me. He said that Noll was going out for a while. Noll didn't tell Lin anything about his plan. I looked into my desk, and I found out, one of my photos has been gone. Noll… is he the one who taking my photo? I had a bad feeling about this, but Lin told me to have a rest, because my flow of energy is rather strange today._

_Tonight I have a strange dream. I met that strange creature again, but it has mutated. It was chasing after me. I wonder why it was chasing me. _

The diary ended that part. Mai was so curious about the rest of the diary. She felt like the rest of the diary maybe still on the box on Naru's room. She wanted to take the book, but she was too scared to enter Naru's room. Suddenly she heard a noise from the outside. It seemed that the other SPR members has arrived.


	9. Chapter 9 - Tale of the Dreams

**Author's note: **

Sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter. I started my final project in my college right now, and it really took my time. I will do my best to upload the next chapter. Thank you for your consideration.

**Chapter 9 – Tale of the Dreams**

Mai closed the book as she heard the knocks form the front door. It seemed that the other SPR group has arrived. Mai ran to the door, but she found that the front door was locked. Maybe either Lin or Naru has locked the door when Mai was busy with the diary. Mai called for Naru and Lin, but neither of them answered her. Mai decided to ask Lin for the key, since she was not on the mood to meet Naru. She went to the attic and found out that Lin has been asleep on the top of a pile of books. No wonder he was asleep. The trip to Japan must made him very tired. Afraid that she might wake Lin, Mai walked carefully. She looked at Lin's pocket and found no key, which mean… she has to ask Naru for the key. Mai sighed and looked at the shelf, still hoping to find the key. At the end, she found a blanket and a red scarf instead. It must be the scarf that she saw on her dream, the one that Gene gave to Naru. Mai took a blanket from the shelf and put it on Lin. Mai smiled as she looked at Lin's face. Lin was very kind, even he was really tired, he still could handle Naru's egoist attitude without any complaints. Mai took the red scarf. Maybe Naru's mood would be better if she showed him the scarf.

As she heard the knocks from the front door again, she remembered her purposed. She has to go to Naru's room to ask for the key. But hey, Naru must have heard the knocks as well. How could he not respond … is he asleep as well? As Mai reached Naru's room, she knocked at his door. No one responded. Maybe Naru has been asleep as well. She opened the door silently and peeked inside. She found out that Naru was still awake. He wore a headphone on his head. No wonder he didn't hear the knocks. It seemed that he was in a serious conversation with someone with the Skype.

" So the medicine that she took was LSD? How could it she obtain it?" Naru asked.

" What is he talking about?" Mai thought.

" Yeah… Mai's body is still in the hospital right now. The doctor said that she's okay, but still… I have a bad feeling about this…"

" So he's talking about me right now? But with whom? All of the SPR has been waiting in front of our gate, right?" Mai thought.

" Yeah, but I couldn't agree about that. I don't want to involve her any further because… " Naru said. He ended the conversation fast as he saw Mai was standing in front of his room.

Mai was scared as Naru stared at her. Naru must be angry because Mai heard his conversation, " I'm sorry, I just… want to ask you about the key for the front door! Everyone has been waiting for a long time…"

Naru took the key from his pocket and walked to the door. " Hey, that red scarf on your hand…"

" Oh, I just found it on the attic. It was the red scarf that Eugene gave you on the Christmas right? You remember it, right? Gene has put a lot of effort to choose the Christmas present for you…"

Naru stared at Mai confusedly, " How could you know about my past? I never told anyone about it…"

" Er… it was… Well…" Mai paused, " I just saw a strange dream last night. In that dream, I was in a big labyrinth. I saw you and I called for your name, but it seemed that you didn't hear it. So I just followed you… and every time I entered a door, I saw your childhood…and also…"

Naru gripped Mai's arm, " What did you see?"

Mai was afraid as she felt the pain in her arm, " Why do you get angry?"

" TELL ME!" Naru yelled.

Mai looked down, she was too afraid to see Naru's face right now. " I saw your childhood with Gene, the moment that both of you fight a strange monster named _baku_. It was really scary… And I also saw about your meeting with Lin… then I found a strange door, a very old door. And as I opened it… it appeared… the baku… It was chasing me, but in my dream, you saved me, by defending me with your right arm."

" _Baku_…? In a strange old door?"

" Yes, unlike the other door which has nice color and model, it was very old. Oh yeah, I remembered! After that, you in my dream, asked me to reach a tower, and on the top of the tower, I found that scarf. But when I went down, I found no one. As I left the tower, I saw your Christmas moment where Gene gave you the scarf… And after that… the_ baku_ appeared again behind me and it got me… Well, it was a very strange dream… But when I woke up, I found out that my right arm was bleeding. Lin healed me immediately after that…"

"So the _baku _appeared in your dream… And you got the wound on the right arm…?" Naru looked at his right arm.

" Yeah, exactly the same size and the same position as yours. But I wondered, I remembered that I have checked your right arm at the plane after I had that nightmare, but I found nothing. How could you have the wound now?"

" I don't know… the wound just appeared on my arm a moment ago… It was just like when I was a kid. Whenever Gene got hurt, the same wound would appear on me a moment after that, without any reason…. "

" But… I'm not Gene… How could we share the same wound? Or else… the one that helped me on my dream is Gene…? But how could I get the wound at the same size and position as yours?"

" But after the_ baku_ got you… what else did you see…?" Naru asked. His face looked nervous now.

" Em… I didn't remember anything else after that… Oh yeah, I remembered that after that, I was transferred into the other room. It was full of blood and… it was really scary …"

" That was just a dream, just forget about them, okay?" Naru released Mai's arm. Naru was acting strange, Mai was sure of it.

Both of them got back into the world as they heard the loud sound from the front room. As they ran toward, they realized that Bou-san has broken the front door. " Are you okay?"

Naru looked at him confusedly. Lin ran to them quickly. " I'm sorry, I fell asleep… Is everything okay?"

" Oh, I'm sorry…" Bou-san put his hand behind his head, " I thought that something bad happened to you, so…" Bou-san looked at the door, " I'm really sorry… I will fix it now…"

" How could it be so long? We have knocked the door for almost half an hour… I thought that the thief entered your house and hurt you, or… you got poisoned by the gas…" Ayako entered the room and put some groceries on the refrigerator. It seemed that they went into the grocery shop after they looked for the data. That's why it took so long to wait for them.

" I'm sorry, I fell asleep…" Lin said.

" And Naru…?" Ayako asked.

" I was in a very serious conversation with my friend with Skype… I'm using a headphone that moment, so I didn't hear the knocks." Naru answered.

" With the other researcher in England?" Bou-san asked.

" You can say that…," Naru said.

" It's impossible," Mai thought. She remembered clearly that Naru was using Japanese in his conversation. But… whom did Naru speak to, then?

" Matzusaki-san, I just heard that Mai got the drug from you. How could you get the LSD?" Naru asked.

" LSD? I don't think that I could obtain such an item. The drug that I brought was…" she looked at the cupboard, but she couldn't find the bottle. She looked at her bag and found the bottle on her bag. " Hey, I found the sleeping drug on my bag. That means I'm not the one who made Mai unconscious!"

" Then… how could she get the LSD?" Naru asked.

" What is a LSD?" Bou-san asked as he repaired the door. Lin helped him by his side.

" Well, LSD is Lysergic acid diethylamide, a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the tryptamine family." Ayako explained.

" Please explain in HUMAN language… " Bou-san cut the explanation.

" Well, in short, the illegal drugs that can use some hallucination. It usually used for exercises for transcendence in mediation, psychonautics, and illegal psychedelic psychotherapy whether self-administrated or not…." Naru added. " How could Mai get the medicine?"

" I have no clue. I wasn't on the office that night, " Yahushara said, " I was studying for the college entrance exam at that moment. "

" I was in the bar that night," Ayako said.

" No one was on the office that day, except me and Mai. But, I just stayed with her until the evening, then I left her because I have a business to do. So, Mai was all alone at that night." Bou-san explained.

" Did anyone suspicious enter the office before you left the office?" Naru asked.

" Nope, I'm sure of it!" Bou-san's face was confident with his statement.

Naru glanced at Mai, " So, did anyone enter the office after he left you?"

Mai shook her head. " I don't think so. I don't remember very well but… I wouldn't let anyone that I don't recognize to enter the office that hour. That was already late at that time…"

Naru nodded his head. He wrote something in his notes and put it back to his pocket after that. Naru also asked Lin to call his friend from the forensic to check about bottle. But since it was already night, Lin asked his friend to check the bottle tomorrow. Naru looked at the file in Yasuhara's hand. " By the way, how is the research?"

" Well, we got the book that you asked before. Here is the summary for the book, and some copies of the articles." Yasuhara handed his file to Naru. " But… why did you also ask us about the articles about dream?"

" It maybe connected to the effect of the drugs that Mai took." Naru answered. " The Ancient Chinese believed that the soul would leave the body whenever they sleep. And also, since the LSD could be used for the mediation, maybe she was on that condition right now…"

" So… that's it! That's why my soul left my body that night!" Mai said. Naru was really smart. Mai really glad that she could get the help from Naru, excluding his annoying attitude.

" And I found an interesting article too!" Yasuhara said, " I don't know whether it was related or not. It was about _baku_, the dream-eater mythical creature that shaped like a tapir from Indonesia. I also include the picture in the copies…"

Mai looked at the picture as Naru opened his file, " So it was the _baku_? But it looked really friendly. The one that I saw in my dream was scarier. It has fangs on its mouth! And also... the article said that it was only eat nightmare, but why did the creature chased after me?"

Naru shook his head, " I don't know either…"

Both were silent. Naru looked at his notes. " Mai, when you left your body, someone was calling you, right? And then you felt someone was pushing you…"

Mai nodded. " But I didn't see who was pushing me that time. But… I'm sure it wasn't the baku…"

Naru approached Lin who was helping Bou-san for fixing the door. " Lin, tell me who did you summon at the night of the accident."

Lin's face looked pale suddenly, " What's wrong with that…?"

" You want to help Mai, right? I believed the failed ritual that you held also connected to this case…" Naru explained.

Lin paused for a moment. " Well, I will tell you the truth, but… promise me you wouldn't get angry…"

"…" Naru nodded.

" Well… I was calling for Eugene's soul that night…" Lin answered with low voice.

" So you really call for his soul! Why did you call him?" Naru's stared deep into him.

Lin looked down," There's something I want to ask him…"

" About what?"

" I couldn't tell…" Lin answered, " I have a promise that I couldn't break…"

Naru's eyes grew in anger, but he tried to act as calm as he could. " I see… then instead Gene, the one who was came was Mai's soul…"

" Mai came to your place in London?" Bou-san surprised.

Naru nodded, " Up until now, her soul was with us in here."

" But… I can't see her…" Masako said.

" That's the problem that I have no answer right now… But at least we have some points here. First, the outsider had drugged Mai so her soul came out from her body. Second, Mai was called into my office in London because of Lin's failed ritual to call Gene's soul. And the last, about my wound in my right arm…" Naru explained as he exposed his right arm.

Lin looked at Naru's arm, " How could you get this wound? And it has the same position as Mai's wound last night…"

" Not only the position, but also the same size. I asked Mai a while ago about the wound she got. She said that in that dream, she met a _baku_, the dream eater creature, and then he saw me protecting her with my right hand…"

" But _baku_ is a nice creature. In all the legend, _baku_ is very shy but very friendly creature. It loves children so much, so it ate every nightmare from the children. Some people still give the _baku_ shaped doll to repel the bad evil that cause bad dreams for their children." Bou-san said.

" Yeah, that was another problem that I have no clue. But let's get back into the topic. I didn't have the same dream as Mai, but I got the same wound as the boy shaped like me in Mai's dream… And do you remember our ability as twins? Whenever one of us got hurt, the wound would appear on the others as well. That means…"

" You mean… Mai has the same power as Gene? Wait, could it be… Gene's soul was with Mai, so that she was the one who was called by my ritual and also, she has the same wound as yours!" Lin said doubtfully.

" But Gene has said good-bye for me when you found his corpse! I remembered it well, and also… he never showed in my dream again after that…" Mai said.

" However, the reason why you couldn't be back to your body now was maybe because of the LSD effect, or… maybe because Eugene's soul was with you right now. And maybe, it was part of his plan, to brought all of us together again in this place…"

" Gene was… with me…?" Mai shocked, " But why…?" Mai couldn't get anything. All of the members looked confused as well. They couldn't believe that Eugene brought them together again. Maybe a bigger case was waiting for them, more than just Mai's case right now.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Awaken Memories

**Author's note:**

**Sorry for waiting for a long time, the revision of my final project in my campus really killing my time -_-;. **

**Chapter 10 – The Awaken Memories**

It has been 3 days since Mai and the others came back to Japan. The SPR have come everyday to the office to help Mai. Mai has tried many methods that the SPR have researched, but none of them has any effects. Even their researched had no effects, everybody looked happy when they try to help Mai. It was really fun to watch everyone worked with happy face. The funny Bou-san, the smart Yasuhara, the shy John, the tsundere Masako, the motherly Ayako, the quiet Lin, and the cold Naru, all brought colors in Mai's days. But sometimes, it was lonely too, not to be able to speak with everyone. That's why Mai preferred to work in Naru's room than in the living room, because Naru was the only one she could speak to. Lately Lin has some works outside the office, so Mai couldn't speak with him anymore.

" Have you been able to contact Gene?" Naru asked Mai.

Mai shook her head.

" I see…" Naru looked back at his laptop again.

It's hard, Mai thought as she sat on the sofa in Naru's room. She had been wishing to meet and speak with Gene too, but she couldn't. She believed that what Naru had said to her was true, but she couldn't understand why Gene put her on this condition. Ever since the dream she had with Gene, she had never met him again in her dream. However, she has nightmares lately. At her dream, she was in a bloody room. She saw her father's corpse beside her, but it was really dark. She could feel that someone was with her in that bloody room, too. However, she couldn't see that person's face, she only saw that person's was holding a knife. That person chased after her, and all she could do was running and hiding. The dream was always ended when that person found her. However, before that person stabbed her, she could feel that something was protected her. She couldn't see what it was because it was really dark on that house.

" Mai, can I ask you something?" Naru asked.

" What is it?" Mai looked at Naru.

" Have you seen any strange dream lately?"

" Strange dream…? What do you mean?"

" …" Naru shook his head, " Forget it…"

" You looked pale. Are you alright?" Mai asked as she approached Naru and put her hand on his forehead, " You have no fever. Did you have any proper sleep lately? I found out that you were awake in your room until midnight lately. You better watch for your health…"

" Worry not about me…" Naru answered without looking at Mai, " I'm just focusing on my research."

Mai smiled, " I'm sorry for causing many troubles to you… Thank you so much…"

" …"

" Oh yeah, I just remember… lately I have a nightmare, and it repeated every night… In that dream, I was trapped in a bloody room, and someone was chasing after me with a knife his hand… It was really scary…"

" When did you begin to have that nightmare?"

" Mm… if I'm not mistaken, ever since Gene came again to my dream… and that _baku_ touched me…"

" Have you meet with the _baku_ again after that?"

Mai shook her head, " Just that nightmare every night… And at the ending of that nightmare… something was protected me from the man with the knife… But I'm not sure what it is."

" Is it a human?"

" I don't know… but it has a big body…"

" How big is it?"

Mai thought for a while," Taller than Lin, maybe?"

" So… it was true…"

" What do you mean?"

" Nothing…" Naru just typed everything that Mai said in his laptop.

" Come on, tell me!" Mai looked at Naru's laptop. She found out that Naru was browsing at the Internet. " A village? Why are you browsing about this village?"

" Lin gave me this web a while ago. This village was still worshiping for the _baku_, he said."

" Worshiping for the _baku_? Is _baku_ a God?" Mai asked.

Naru sighed, " I believed that Bou-san had explained about it before… _Baku_ is a mythical creature that can repel the evil. That's why some people in the past prayed at this creature so that the evil wouldn't curse their children with the nightmare. And also, people still keep _baku_ doll in their child's bed so that the _baku_ will protect their children."

" I see…" Mai smiled, " It made me remember about something… When I was a kid, I have a doll that shaped like that _baku_, too. It was made by my father, but it shaped rather strange, " Mai giggled, " My father was really bad at sewing, but he had spent his break time just to sew that charm for me. I kept that doll every time I sleep, however… I lost that doll after my father's accident…"

" Your father's accident?" Naru looked at Mai seriously.

" My father was murdered… I don't know much about the case because my mother forbid me to searching any further about the case…"

" So the murdered has been caught?" Naru asked.

" No… the polices haven't caught the murderer… Maybe because my father was murdered in a remote area too, and it has no witness…" Mai sighed. Suddenly she remembered about Gene's diary. " The case that haven't been solved… a remote area…?" Mai looked at the piles of books on Naru's room. She looked for Gene's diary, which she read 3 days ago. The case that Gene handled… is it…? And the photo that she saw on Naru's album in London, that has her and Gene, but she didn't remember when she had token that photo. Is that meant... she had meet with Gene before?

" Mai?" Naru looked at her.

" Naru! The photo!" Mai gripped Naru's hand, " The photo that had Gene and me on it, you have it, right? You know something about it, right?"

Naru didn't answer. He looked at to the other side.

" Please… answer me! Why did I have the photo with Gene?"

" You better not remember anything about it…" Gene pushed Mai away.

Mai chased after him, " Why? Why are you hiding it from me?"

Naru stared at Mai. He looked really angry, " Don't you remember anything about it? Do you remember what you have done for me?"

Mai was confused, " What do you mean…?"

" If Gene haven't met you, he would have been alive now!" Naru stopped his speech," I'm sorry, let's not continue this conversation…"

" What do you…." Mai stopped as she saw tears on Naru's eyes. " Naru… why do you…"

Naru left Mai alone in the room.


	11. Chapter 11 - Mai's Awakening

**Chapter 11 – Mai's Awakening**

Naru was weird lately, Mai thought. It's unusual for a cool person, or cold for sure, to show such emotional face like that. And… he looked sad. Mai wondered, what had she done, that caused Naru has to bear so much pain. Does that mean… she was the cause of Eugene's death? But she couldn't remember anything at all about Gene. She didn't even know that Naru has a twin, before Eugene's body was found in the lake. However, something bothered her mind. She was the only one who knew about Naru's nickname from the first, and Naru didn't mind that she called him by that name, even from the first meeting. Is that mean that she had known about Naru before their first case in her school? But again, she didn't remember anything about it. She felt as if Naru mocked at her by saying " dumb" because she couldn't remember anything at all.

Mai looked through the books in the box in Naru's office. It was the box that she brought from the cellar. She found Eugene's diary in that box. Maybe she could find the rest of the diary in that box, she thought. Most of the books were just the old novels and journals about supernatural phenomenon. Eugene was part of ghost hunt after all. Finally she could find a drawing book in the bottom of the box. The drawing book looked very old. Maybe it was either Naru or Eugene's drawing book, she thought. She giggled as she imagined that both Gene and Naru were drawing together using crayon. It was too cute for a person like Naru to draw something using crayon. He must have drawn some supernatural things even as a child, she thought as she giggled.

She opened the first page of the drawing book. That was a picture of a pair of twins. At the right corner, Mai could see the name of Gene and Noll written. Maybe the picture was drawn by both of them. No wonder, that the drawing style were different. It seemed that Gene preferred using warm colors, while Naru preferred the dark one. She turned the page, and she found that the page only contain one word, written with red crayon. It said, " MAI".

* * *

" _I see… so you couldn't speak. How about writing your name, so that I can call you?" _ _The little boy smiled at him as he handed a drawing book and a crayon._

* * *

Mai held her head, " What was that memories…?" The book that she held was Naru and Gene's, right, as it was written in the first page… But how could it contain her name. And that memories, is that Gene? Mai tried to remember the diary that she had read before. The little girl that Gene had met couldn't speak due to the shock. Is that mean…

She turned into the next page. It was a picture of a girl in a sunflowers garden. Mai could see a little house behind the garden. That girl was similar with the girl that she saw on her dream when she was sleeping on he plane.

* * *

" _Maybe you lost your memory due to the shock. I have read about that before. But for me, maybe it would be good if you didn't remember those things. Don't be afraid, I will protect you, I promise you! From now on, let's play here every afternoon. I think I can sneak around for a while." The little boy took a crayon and began to draw something in his drawing book," Hey, so you sneak here, too, without your mother knowing about our meeting? Don't worry, I won't tell anybody about it. Let's make this house become our secret place, okay?" The little boy smiled as he showed the picture. " Look, I have drawn it on my book, so that I won't forget our promise!"_

* * *

" Another fragment of memories about Gene…" Mai thought. So she really met Gene when she was a child, even she only remembered a little about it now. Mai turned the page again. Mai couldn't help but throwing the book as she saw the picture. It was the picture of the blood stained room, the room that she saw every time in her dream lately. How could Gene draw that kind of picture in his drawing book? She tried to remember Eugene's diary. Eugene was handling a murder case at that time. He was a spirit medium, and he called the spirit of the dead to be able to communicate with the police and the investigators. Is it the scenery that he saw when he was channeling? Is that mean… what she saw in her dream was murder scene? So she really saw the murderer of her own father…?

Suddenly Mai heard a voice from the outside. Maybe it was Lin, who came home late because of Naru's assignments, she thought. She wanted to make a tea for him. She stopped in front of the door as she heard the conversation from the outside. It wasn't Lin's voice.

" I won't let you take her! She was my only little girl. I won't let you sacrifice her; even you are the shaman of this village…" the man said with loud voice. The voice sounded so familiar to Mai. It was her father's voice. Mai tried to open the door, but something blocked the door. She couldn't even move the door.

" Don't you care about the villagers' life? This village will be cursed if we don't perform the ritual…" the other man said. His voice was familiar too, but Mai couldn't remember whose voice is that.

" You couldn't use that reason anymore… you are the one who killed the people lately, right? You must have used the same reason you used to me right now to manipulate them, so that the villagers won't tell anything to the police, right? Don't you dare to step your foot on my foot, or I will shoot you…" Mai's father said.

The other man laughed so hard. " So you have known about the case that far. What a good police officer you are… I praise you. But you know, the curse is real… You think that I was afraid of that little weapon? Such a fool…" He laughed again.

Suddenly Mai heard a loud crack from the outside, and she heard the scream of his father.

" FATHEERRR!" Mai screamed as she pushed the door. Finally the door opened, and all she could see was a horror. The light went off, and she was surround by completely darkness. By the lighting strike outside the window, she saw the scenery on her dream again. The longhaired man held the knife. But now, not only that man that she saw. Some of the villagers were beating his father using the farming tools. No wonder she could see blood scattered everywhere in the room. The longhaired man laughed so hard. Mai couldn't move as she saw the scene in front of her eyes. She couldn't believe what she saw. Not only what happened to her father, but also the longhaired man, his shadow was shaped like the _baku_ that she saw before, the scary mutated _baku_ that she fought with Gene before in her dream.

" And now finally I found you… my little precious one…" the longhaired man said as he came closer to Mai.

Mai stepped backward, and she ran into Naru's room again. She closed the door and locked it. She could hear that the man and the villagers tried to break the door. " I must be dreaming again… I have to wake up… please… wake up…"

The door broke and the villagers entered the room. Mai couldn't run anymore. Mai closed her eyes as she gave up to her fate. Suddenly she heard the scream of the villagers. As she opened her eyes, she saw a big creature was protecting her. It was a _baku_, a very large _baku_, but it was different from the one that the longhaired man had.

" Run… " The creature said. " Hurry…"

Mai opened the window behind her. She looked to the outside.

" Come to me…" Mai heard a voice from the outside. Mai couldn't believe what she saw. It was Gene with black outfit. " Don't be afraid, I will catch you…"

Mai jumped from the window. Gene caught her as he promised. Mai hugged him so tight, " Gene, I'm glad that I can find you…"

" Me too… " Gene pulled away and wiped away Mai's tear from her face. " Sorry for showing you such bad memories that you don't want to remember…"

" It's okay… I'm sorry… that I forget everything about you… about our childhood…" Mai said.

" It's okay… Sometimes, things are better when they were forgotten…" Gene smiled at Mai. His smile was bitter.

" Gene…?"

" Mai, we have to hurry… Or else you wouldn't be able to go back to your body again…" Gene held Mai's hand.

" What do you mean?" Mai asked.

" The effect of the drug will end soon… I will guide you back to your body... " Gene pulled Mai into the tunnel. The tunnel was long, as long as Mai saw when she left her own body.

" Gene… will we meet again…?" Mai asked.

Eugene didn't say anything.

" I… I want to be with you… Gene…" Mai held Gene's hand so tight as she held her tears.

" Me too, but… our world were different…" Gene touched Mai's face and kissed her cheek, " And also… there's someone who still need you on your world… Please… take care of him…" Gene said as his body faded away.

* * *

As Mai opened her eyes, she was in the hospital. The nurse was very surprised as she saw Mai's awakening. Suddenly, all the SPR members came to the hospital. They were very glad that Mai could wake up from the long sleep. John was the first who hug Mai. He seemed very worried about Mai's condition. Everyone was surprised by his action. Yasuhara and Bou-san quickly teased his, as always…

" Here they go again…" Ayako shook her head. " As noisy as always…"

" Why are you crying?" Masako asked Mai.

Mai wiped away her tears, " Just… having a bad dream…"

Naru poured warm water from the thermos and hand the cup to Mai.

Mai received the cup with a smile. Somehow, seeing Naru again made him relieved. " Thank you… sorry to make you angry yesterday…"

Naru closed his file and stood up," Just forget it… Well, let's go back to work if you have felt much better…"

" Is that all…?" Lin blocked Naru. " You have something to tell her, right?"

" Well… " Naru took a long breath, " Welcome home, Mai…" Naru left the room as he hided the blush in his face.

" Wow, he answered to your confession, Mai!" Bou-san padded Mai's head.

" That's not a confession!" Masako yelled at Bou-san.

" Why did you get angry? Ah, so… Masako is fond of Naru…?" Bou-san asked.

Masako blushed so hard, " NO! I'm just clarify what Naru said…"

Mai couldn't help but laughed. She was sad that she had to separate with Gene again, but Gene was right… she had a lot of good friends here.

" Oh yeah, I forget about something, " Yasuhara looked at his bag, " I forget to tell Naru about the the case from the clients a week ago…"

" What case is that?" Ayako asked.

" About the strange disease in a village, it is said that there are many villagers who had a long sleep, but the cause were unknown…" Yasuhara said.

" Just like Mai, huh?" Bou-san asked as he sat beside Mai.

" But Mai slept because of the LSD drugs, right?" Masako asked.

" Yeah…" Mai sighed," I was so unlucky to use that drug on my tea…"

" Come on, cheer up!" John smiled, " And since Naru and Lin will be here for a while, and Mai has regain her consciousness, how about we handle this case together as Ghost Hunt again, as we used before?"

" Maybe we should let this little princess take a rest for a while. She just woke up, right?" Bou-san took a glance at Mai.

" I'm alright!" Mai smiled, " I have slept for a long time, so my energy has been charged now!"

" Just don't push yourself, okay?" Ayako sighed.

Mai nodded, " Don't worry. Oh, I can't wait to work together with all of you again, This would be fun!"


End file.
